Spring - User contributions [en]

Requirements

2008-01-12T02:35:23Z

What:

'''System Requirements''', or: "What sort of a system do I need to run Spring?"

You need a 3D graphics card to run Spring, which will probably require at least a a GeForce4 MX and the latest driver supported. Minimum CPU requirements are a little more complex. A more powerful CPU will have the capability to support larger maps and a greater maximum unit limit. A 1 GHz CPU should be able to support an estimated 500 units. The memory needed will also vary with unit count and map size, but 512 MB is enough to play medium sized games.

{|
!CPU
!RAM
!GPU, Video Ram
!Resolution; Settings
!Result
|-
|Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800
|512 MB
|GeForce 6200 256 MB w/Turbocache
|1024 x 768; minimum settings
|Starts to lag after 1200 units
|-
|Intel Pentium 4 2600 MHz (HT)
|1024 MB
|Intel 82865G (built-in)
|
|Works ok, laggy on high (visible) unit count or on big maps when most of the terrain is visible.
|-
|AMD Turion MT-32 1.8 GHz
|448 MB
|ATi Radeon Express 200M, 64 MB
|1280 x 800; minimum settings
|Works fine, but a bit laggy on higher unit counts (750 ). Lags bad after detonation of nukes or commanders (video chip sucks in rendering clouds).
|-
|Intel Pentium 4 1.7 GHz
|256 MB
|GeForce FX 5200, 128 MB
|1280x1024; minimum settings
|Slow on water maps with the nice-shining-animated-water (works very well with the standard one). Slow when some smoke is shown too. Disregard that, no display matter. 16x16 maps work fine if <100~ units, otherwise very slow. 8x8 maps like SmallDivide work well. Running linux.
|-
|Intel Celeron 1.2 GHz
|512 MB
|Intel 915GM (laptop/integrated)
|1024x768; near minimum settings
|Works fine on maps 16x16 and smaller. 6 players is about the most it can handle, maybe only 4 on large maps with lots of units.
|-
|Intel Core Duo 1.83 GHz
|1204 MB
|GeForce 7600 Go (Laptop) 512 MB
|1280x768; near maximum settings
|Works fine on all maps, including those over 32x32. No player limit reached, but hosting caps around 8. Running Windows XP.
|-
|AMD 1ghz to 1,3ghz
|512MB or less
|GeForce 4 128MB
|640 x 480; no sound, no reflections, everything that can disabled or lowered
|Over 100fps at the very beginning, goes down to 0.01fps as time goes and players expand more and more. Either overclock to 5ghz or upgrade to any dual core like AMD or Intel 5000+.
|-
|Any under 1ghz
|???MB
|???
|???
|90% of all hosts will not permit you to play, period.
|}

Uberweapon

2008-01-12T02:31:26Z

What:

'''Uberweapon''' is a term used to describe an unit that takes a great deal of resources and time to build, but when finished, gives a great advantage and usually victory to the constructing player.

'''Uberweapon strategy''' is a strategy in which a player concentrates on reaching top technology level in shortest possible time while expanding economy. After attaining highest possible technology level, all resources are concentrated on building very powerful and expensive unit(s) (uberweapon), which in turn is used to attack enemy base and demolish it (or at least damage beyond recovery). Defensive structures and combat units are built in small quantities only, because of the great strain on economy put by building the uberweapon.

Uberweapon strategy has best chances of succeeding when:
* There is a very powerful unit available (this is fundamental)
* There are natural boundaries separating portions of the map (i. e. water)
* The map is big and resource-rich
* Enemy is [[porcing]] and doesn't plan to use [[mass destruction weapon]]
* The resources are limited (which is not the case in TA)

It is likely to fail when:
* Enemy is [[rushing]]
* Enemy uses mass destruction weapons
* Map has few natural obstacles and is easy to maneuver
* Map is resource-poor or small

Generally, when it is possible to successfully implement an uberweapon strategy, the game is considered off-balance. This strategy is also sometimes successful against "stupid" AI which is not willing to push any attacks until disturbed. Effective counters are i. e. making long-range or mass destruction weapons readily available and cheap or setting a fixed build / research time. However, if nukes become too easy to build, they will temselves become an uberweapon. The most common aproach is therefore to increase the build time of the most powerful units until uberweapon strategy is no longer an option, even on very large maps, or to create units allowing fast, early attack.

In some mods such as [[Absolute Annihilation]], level 3 mechs or units are candidates for an uberweapon. Players building them often overestimate their power and send them with no anti-air or ground support against swarms or level 2 defense lines, which results in quick destruction of the unit. However, if the defender is not prepared, deploying such powerful units may be effective.

Never build lots of nukes, energy weapons or long range plasma cannons. You'll either get nuked by an ally, commander bombed by an ally, commander captured by an ally, banned or kicked, and hated for life! No, 10 energy weapons cannot stop a krogoth attack, by the time it gets close it'll destroy all them very easily.

''' [[Strategy_and_Tactics|<- Back to Strategy and Tactics page]]'''

[[Category:Strategy]]

Multiplayer Strategy

2008-01-12T02:25:01Z

What:

===Introduction=== 
Now that you've presumably read about how to excel in a one on one enviroment, I'm sure you're ready to try something a little different. Whether it is for the mutability, possible pace, sheer complexity or development of player roles, nearly all Spring players eventually and consistently venture into the world of multiplayer matches.

-Neddiedrow

===Choosing A Host=== 
Some people have the power to host a game, and the audacity to abuse that power. If you've played with somebody before and found their hosting inadaquate, why subject yourself to it again? Trial and error - but remember, as Kennedy said, an error does not become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.

===Starting A Game=== 
Don't get caught up in who you are playing alongside or against. You will play in unfair matches, leaning either direction. The best method of learning is through loss, and the greatest ability to teach is granted in a stunning victory. However, be aware of the abilities and quirks of those you are working with or against before the game actually begins. If somebody has an unreliable connection, prepare for it. You're now in part responsible for a group - best act accordingly.

===Playing A Game=== 
You and your allies will make mistakes. Somebody may be the strong point. Somebody may cause the loss of the whole team. There is nothing wrong with this.

Your role is to play coherently with your allies and excel in what you do. Thus, communication is the hallmark of a skilled multiplayer. Talk about concerted attacks, work out plans of defense, ask for support. Give advice, lend support, adapt your overhead strategy to accomodate. If you must leave, warn your allies. I cannot stress that point enough, you must tell your allies that you are leaving, and a reason why would not go amiss! Leave them the best you have to work with!

Never leave or be away for 60 seconds, else you'll be criticized for life!
Never play with players who think that they are the only decent player in the whole team, if that happens resign (i.e. explode all your units)

''You are not alone, and you cannot effectively play as if you were alone in a fair match.''

===Clans And You=== 
Chances are, if you are reading this article, you are either a skilled independent player or part of a clan. However, this article would probably most benefit the people who will never read it, but I digress.

Clans are organized groups of players, generally for multiplayer games, who form a small community within the greater community of the game, and often become friends. As such, members of Clans will exhibit in most cases a greater ability to communicate with those within their Clan. They've played with them, won with them, lost alongside them...

Many games hosted in Spring are Clan against Other, a cause of some discontent against certain Clans. If you are not in a Clan, or are working with a scattered group of people rather than your own Clan, know that you are probably at a disadvantage in terms of multiplayer strategy and communication when you face a Clan or majority Clan team.

General rules of thumb used in relation to individual users can be applied to Clans, though I must warn you that while an individual represents his Clan in general, there are exceptions.

=== Connections Between Single Player & Team Experiences === 
Single player ability does, to some extent, translate into multiplayer skill - this much is undeniable. Arguments occur when people disagree on the extent to which it can replace actual experience in a team enviroment - as a general rule of thumb, I would contend that it can cover roughly sixty percent of the necessary knowledge to excel in a team enviroment. Self-sufficency, competitive expansion, complete grasp of tactics as an individual... these are lessons which will help you in a multiplayer match. While they do not replace the ability to accomodate your team mates or the simple ability to communicate... they too are crucial for a successful team game.

[Possibly To Be Continued]

''' [[Strategy_and_Tactics|<- Back to Strategy and Tactics page]]'''

Air Domination

2008-01-12T02:19:52Z

What:

Air Domination is an tactic best employed on maps with little land or large areas on which land units cannot act. It's simple - build an attack group of aircraft suitable for taking out your targets, and support with units that minimize the weakness of air.

Alternatively, build up a tremendous force of the cheapest effective air units for a task and mass your targets, using shock and awe to augment your activities.

'''Connections'''

This tactic is viable in most games with advanced air units and independent air technology, such as AA or XTA. The relative weakness of air units in E&E and Gundam RTS may make this a poor tactical choice despite the access to a variety of aircraft.

'''Notes'''

Do not put hundreds of flying units in patrol mode, you'll cause the game to run very slow for everyone and then kicked and hate for life!!!

''' [[Strategy_and_Tactics|<- Back to Strategy and Tactics page]]'''

[[category:Strategy]]

Commander bombing

2008-01-12T02:18:10Z

What:

Commander bombing or commbombing is when a player uses the awesomeness of the starting commander to wreck havoc on an enemy's base or auxillary defenses. The D-gun combined with a huge explosion when the comm dies will very quickly destroy the opposing player's economy and production if the buildings were grouped together. There are several tactics that constitute commbombing:

# Running out to an enemy's cannon/defenses that is shelling you/ruining your peewees and dgunning it (very common on Altored Divide map)
# Walking into enemy's base early game and dgunning the opposing player's comm, destroying most of their base and their commander (perhaps even taking them completely out of the game)
# In the late game, flying a transport with a commander (perhaps not even yours!) in it into their base to explode it

Commbombing is generally frowned upon, as many times they are used in ways which rapidly end or throw the game. The [[D-gun]] especially seems overpowered if allowed to function as an offensive weapon. This is why many times games will limit d-gun to start position. This, however, will not stop a commander from d-gunning an incoming Krogoth.

1. Players hate when d-gun limit is off, so the host will always limit it.
2. Never suicide a commander, you'll be hated and banned for life!

''' [[Strategy_and_Tactics|<- Back to Strategy and Tactics page]]'''

[[Category:Strategy]]

A Good Offense is the Best Defense

2008-01-12T02:14:36Z

What:

'''Getting Rolling'''

When playing this tactic, you never stay in one spot, continously pumping out units and moving from place to place. Scouts are vital for deep striking missions. Level 1 tech is all you need to win. Players following this tactic are rewarded with an almost impeccable ability to continuosly bring the fight to the enemy, and never getting attacked themselves.

'''Hard, but worth it'''

This tactic is the opposite of porcing, which means it is going to be very hard. No defenses means mobile units, mobile units have more use than defenses, but are weaker. The enemy is never sure of any position you could be at. Here one minute, gone the next. Rushing enemies with 1 or 2 units in the begginning is catastrophic. It can completely wreck the economy, and it could make your enemy try to attack you, but your supposed to have left that base to fend for itself, and moved already.

As many players like to say '''"defense is for bitches"'''

-Snipawolf

PS: This Tactic is not suggested for those of us that are slower...

Commander kidnapping

2008-01-12T02:12:05Z

What:

''Commander Kidnapping'' refers to the use (or abuse, depending on who you listen to) of transports to "abduct" Commander units or, more generally, construction units. Transports in Spring can load enemy units as well as allied units, and enemy units become helpless once they're loaded. This doesn't often work against combat units, which can usually damage or destroy the transport before it can grab them, but can be very effective against unattended construction units or Commanders. Traditionally, airborne transports have been used for this purpose, but some mods have hovercraft transports or other kinds that can be used for similar assaults.

'''This is generally considered a lame tactic''' and other players have a bad opinion of you after that. Against a competent player,it should be impossible to pull off his com. Even if one hasn't built enough static defences, simply keeping the units the enemy's trying to kidnap moving can often prevent the transport from grabbing them. A well-managed Commander is especially difficult to kidnap, as its laser can shoot down flying transports, and its D-Gun can destroy most other kinds as they close.

Do not play with players who do that with allied commanders, period.

''' [[Strategy_and_Tactics|<- Back to Strategy and Tactics page]]'''

[[Category:Strategy]]

Rushing

2008-01-12T02:10:24Z

What:

A "rush" refers to pushing out an early attack, especially in a two player game. In some games, this is at heavy expense to the mid and late game or even crippling your economy in the hope of an uncontested victory; for example the "three-pool rush" (or even worker rush) in Starcraft, or a "Guardian rush" in Dawn of War, both of which will lose you the game if unsuccessful. This is not necessarily the case with TA however, though if the player on the recieving end of the rush can successfully repel it they can come out with an advantage.

In the original TA rushing was conducted by using assist-build to pump out a number of flashes to masticate an uprepared enemy base.

A succesful rush has to be planned from the first second of the game. You should have more than one unit moving to attack before the end of the first minute. If you choose slightly stronger of faster units, an attack that starts before two minutes might be successful.

Watch your units and watch your economy. Attack from multiple directions to divide you enemy's defensive strength. Focus on metal extractors, wind if you see it, and power. Keep solar collectors closed to starve your enemy of energy.

And when your first ends, have another on the way.

For example: in OTA I rush a vehicle plant with 2 solars and a mex, build 3 weasels, move towards the enemy base (almost always opposite my start position) divide weasels into 3 attacks grouping each one 1,2 or 3 whilst my comm starts expanding. I then micro the weasels :) works well enough.

If you are on the receiving end of a rush the way you can gain an advantage is by reclaiming the metal from the attacking units. However, one of the biggest dangers of being on the receiving end of the rush is the amount of time you spend handling it. To this end a quick thing to do is to set a constuction unit on patrol around your base to suck up the metal - this will also repair partially damaged buildings etc. If you end up microing your con-unit, any advantage you get from reclaiming metal will be gone - the next attack will arrive before you've had any advantage from the metal you reclaimed.
Another useful function is the reclaim area function. click reclaim hold and drag and your unit will reclaim all in that green circle! :)

In AA, a good anti-rush tactic is building a LLT near the center of your base early on, and adding others near metal extractors and energy plants as necessary. Since units in Spring can't fire through each other, this prevents your enemy from microing their rush units to keep them on the other side of your first factory (or a block of other structures) from your Commander. Keep doing this throughout the game to discourage raiders, but don't try to cover your entire base. Keeping some fast mobile units in reserve to respond to raids is a much better idea. (Cite: SwiftSpear and Lathan's discussion in [http://taspring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=4206 this thread].)

'''Mod Specific Notes'''

As a Strategy, Rushing is generally effective in most balanced mods. Cases where Rushing may not be effective include Optimus Prime's Final Frontier, among others.

90% of all players employ this tactic!!!! If all your buildings are destroyed this way, you'll be banned and hated for life!

See [[Glossary]]

''' [[Strategy_and_Tactics|<- Back to Strategy and Tactics page]]'''

[[Category:Strategy]]

Uberweapon

2008-01-12T02:06:12Z

What:

'''Uberweapon''' is a term used to describe an unit that takes a great deal of resources and time to build, but when finished, gives a great advantage and usually victory to the constructing player.

'''Uberweapon strategy''' is a strategy in which a player concentrates on reaching top technology level in shortest possible time while expanding economy. After attaining highest possible technology level, all resources are concentrated on building very powerful and expensive unit(s) (uberweapon), which in turn is used to attack enemy base and demolish it (or at least damage beyond recovery). Defensive structures and combat units are built in small quantities only, because of the great strain on economy put by building the uberweapon.

Uberweapon strategy has best chances of succeeding when:
* There is a very powerful unit available (this is fundamental)
* There are natural boundaries separating portions of the map (i. e. water)
* The map is big and resource-rich
* Enemy is [[porcing]] and doesn't plan to use [[mass destruction weapon]]
* The resources are limited (which is not the case in TA)

It is likely to fail when:
* Enemy is [[rushing]]
* Enemy uses mass destruction weapons
* Map has few natural obstacles and is easy to maneuver
* Map is resource-poor or small

Generally, when it is possible to successfully implement an uberweapon strategy, the game is considered off-balance. This strategy is also sometimes successful against "stupid" AI which is not willing to push any attacks until disturbed. Effective counters are i. e. making long-range or mass destruction weapons readily available and cheap or setting a fixed build / research time. However, if nukes become too easy to build, they will temselves become an uberweapon. The most common aproach is therefore to increase the build time of the most powerful units until uberweapon strategy is no longer an option, even on very large maps, or to create units allowing fast, early attack.

In some mods such as [[Absolute Annihilation]], level 3 mechs or units are candidates for an uberweapon. Players building them often overestimate their power and send them with no anti-air or ground support against swarms or level 2 defense lines, which results in quick destruction of the unit. However, if the defender is not prepared, deploying such powerful units may be effective.

Never build lots of nukes, energy weapons or long range plasma cannons. You'll either get nuked by an ally, commander bombed by an ally, commander captured by an ally, banned or kicked, and hated for life!

''' [[Strategy_and_Tactics|<- Back to Strategy and Tactics page]]'''

[[Category:Strategy]]

Porcing

2008-01-12T02:01:29Z

What:

'''Porcing''' (POR-king) is a strategy in which player focuses on building concentrated defenses in a relatively small area to a point where they are nearly impossible to penetrate. The term gets it's name from 'porcupine.' After this, player builds up a large attack force (often an [[uberweapon]]) while fending off incoming attacks using his defensive structures. When appropriately big force is accumulated, player tries to overwhelm and destroy enemy base in a single run. Sometimes the enemy is taken care of using a [[nuke strike|nuke]] or long range artillery i. e. [[Long range plasma cannon|LRPC]].

Porcing has good chances of success when:
* Sufficient resources to build a good base are available without expansion.
* [[Mass destruction weapon]]s are very expensive or hardly accessible
* Enemy is [[rushing]]
* [[Defense buildings]] are more cost effective than mobile combat units (which is usual)
* Defensive terrain restricting the ability of enemy units to move in and attack will make it easier to porc.

Porcing will fail when:
* The enemy can expand significantly and gain a significant resource advantage
* Mass destruction weapons are readily available or enemy uses [[Commander bombing|commbombing]]
* There are efficient artillery units to take out defenses from distance
* Enemy is [[swarming]]. Particularly dangerous when defenses comprise mostly of laser or other hit-or-miss weapons

'''Counter'''

To counter porcing, a player should try and expand across the map to gain as much of a resource advantage as possible. Some raiding should be performed, but with care. The aim is to discourage the opponent from expanding and restricting his territory and resources. Frequent raiding will play into the porcer's hands by expending resources in futile attacks that are unlikely to do any damage. Attacks from various directions should be attempted, as parts of the base may not be as well defended.

With a significant resource advantage, you can then beat the porcer to the punch; by accumulating a large attack force capable of overwhelming and destroying the porcer's defenses in one go. Long range artillery and mass destruction weapons can be very effetive against a porcer.

If porcing is very effective, the game is considered off-balance and becomes boring, as each player prepares his attack for a very long time.

'''Mod Specific Notes'''

As a Strategy, Porcing is generally not effective in fast-paced or territory dependent mods.

Never do this! You'll either get banned from every host or players will hate you for life!

''' [[Strategy_and_Tactics|<- Back to Strategy and Tactics page]]'''

[[Category:Strategy]]

Requirements

2008-01-12T01:57:29Z

What: